Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-10-07

ne turned MS lace 10 une wall an Snppeu
over the river.
"An' that's the way the oil boys turned
up their toes, sonny, one after another,
ez long ez it were with vile foolin' 'roun'
in the woods after a chance. I'm afeerd
I've lost my chance O. followin' their ex-
ample, for tn hain't a painter nor sign
o one within a thousan' miles o. here.
an it don't seem TO be no trick at all to
settle with a bar nowadays. If my oil
gun don't bust, or a tree don't fall an
squash me, or a scattering shot in the
woods don't wing me, or l don't fall
overheard in the pond an git drowned,
I'm feerd, sonny. th't I'll lief to peg out
in bed, an th't the boys ez died game II
kinder feel ashamed O. me w EN- Gabriel
gives the bugle call an jine 'em on
tother side O. Jurdan.
but this here Burnt Chestnut run
'way-course yew heerd the curious story
ez to how it got its name? Didn't never
hear it? Wall. | swowl That's culiouser
yet thin the story an bein's We haven't
got nuthin' better to listen to jest now tn n
them sassy red squirrels ez is chucklin'
at us from ev'ry durn tree that got
hole in it an them wuthless jaybirds th't
sings ez if they was film a saw an the
tappin' o that woodpecker on that dead
pine over yender. I'll jist give ye the his
tory o. oil Burnt Chestnut.
1T happened a good many years
ago, it did, sonny-so long ago that
thez very few in the country ez ever
heern on it, let alone 'memberin' on it.
'Twa mt long after stage coaches begun
to run up through this deestric', an
that's fur enough back goodness knows.
Wall, anyhow. one fall an oil man th't
seemed to hev his share O money got
out o the stage over yender at the cross
ms tavern, on t'other side O the bridge,
an staid thar. He give his name as
Simon Morer, an he took to lookin' bout
the deestric', an finally bought tract O.
land up long the Big Swamp run. He
had a piece of it cleared o timber. an
then he built the biggest an suggest log
house th't were ever seen. The mex
summer half dozen wagon loads O fur
nitur' an setch fiXin's fer housekeepin'
ez hadn't never been seen nor heern on
in these parts came a-drivin up to OF
Morer's log house, an followerin' them
came the OF man, two young fellers ez
turned out to be his sons an an ALFRED
han some gal, not more'n 16 year
oil. 1t soon got missed around 'mongst
w at few folks tn was diggin' in them
days fer a Twin in the deestric' th't this
gal were the oil mans niece. One O the
boys were named Simon, arter his pap,
| s'pose, an t'other were called James.
Simon were bout 80, an James not
more'n 21. The gals name were Pa
thence. James was a tip top young chap
an fell right in with the ways o the OF
residenters, an got to be so pop'la 'mong
'em th't twa mt long fore they was call
in him Jim. Young SIMON, though,
We're an overbearin' an disagreeable cuss.
He hated the woods an the people, and
didn't make no bones o saying so. Con-
sequently. folks want so blame well sot
to'ards him ez they mowt ha' been. But
that hahn nuther here nor thar.
you noticed, O. course, how things
will git Giro lated around. an anyone S
business be ev'ryone's business. even if
tn hain't Elore'n half dozen folks in a
deestric' twenty miles square. Wall,
that $ the way it went bout the Morers,
an twa' long fore the hull woods
know'd tn Of Morer KEEP a good deal
o. money in his house, locked up in a
iron bound chist. an th't young Simon
an his brother Jim was both on EN- dead
in love with their cousin Patience, an
tht Patience had her heart sot on jim,
an th't Consistently tn were the Of boy
to pay most O the time in the Morel
family. The oil mans favorite son were
young Simon. an vile he owned up tc
that. he wouldn't hev no force-but
business in the matter o Patience, an
were tryin' all the time to get the boys
to patch up some sort O. compromise
TIL were trouble, too, about the oil
mans money cause Simon he claimed
th't most of it must be hisn by rights
an Jim he lowed th't he'd be blamed il
tn were.
can SO things went on for year an
better. One day Sam Bates, who were
happenin' to walk by the Morer place
heerd big quarrel goin' on 'mongst the
family. He heerd the OIL man say tn
he wouldn stan it no longer, An tn
he'd divide his money even 'twixt thu
boys, an th't the girl must marry Simon
Then Jim he swore by all that was blue
th't the girl shouldn't marry Simon, We
es fer the money, the old man could d.
jist ez he blamed pleased with it. OF
Simon toll young Simon to take the stag
fer Philadelphy mex mornin, an hav,
his lawyer draw up the papers, an t,
bring 'em back an he'd sign EN-, an
Simon went.
9TH want much stir seen bout tn
Morer place fer week arter that. Thel
folk thort it began to look mysterious
an were jist on the pint O. 'vestigatin
it, W 'en young Simon got back. 'Twan'
many hours fore the hull deestric
know'd th't Simon had found the hous
: empty. The OIL man We're gone, Jir
, We're gone, Patience were gone, an wus
thin all, as Simon said, the Of man
money chist were gone. Simon rippe
round the neighborhood an swore tn
his brother Jim had murdered the o.
man an hid his body som'ers in tn
: woods, an then stole the money an ru
off with Patience Moren th't, he swor
; tilt ev'ry one in the deestric had helpe
r Jim do it, an th't he'd hev 'em all hung